Care & Procedures

Gum Disease

Gum disease is an infection. The signs of that infection are bad breath, gum recession and bleeding and sore gums with periodontal pockets. Gum disease is often a slow moving chronic infection and often goes unnoticed by the patient. Many factors contribute to it devolving these include:

• Your overall health (diabetes and any immune system issues play a key role)
• Medications
• Nutrition
• Genetics
• Tobacco

The benefits of treating gum disease are numerous:

• Teeth and gums feel better
• Gums no longer bleed
• Your breath will smell better
• Has a positive effect on overall health by eliminating chronic infection and inflammation. Current research shows a link between active gum disease and heart disease, stroke, and low birth weight for expecting mothers.

Post-Procedural Care

Depending on the severity of your gum disease you may be numb after you cleaning. This numbness generally wears off in 2-4 hours.

It is normal to experience

• Some swelling at the injection sites this should resolve in 2 to 4 days
• Some soreness of the jaw on opening and closing. This is caused either by the injection or because you were holding open for the duration of the appointment
• Increased cold sensitivity. Sensitivity usually decreases within several weeks after deep cleaning and can be minimized by keeping the area as free of plaque as possible. To help with this Dr Spiger will prescribe a mouth rinse called Periomed
• You will probably have some discomfort when the anesthesia wears off; take your non-aspirin pain medication(s) as directed